Darrell Royal

The most successful college football coach the state of Texas has ever seen, Royal guided the University of Texas to three national championships and 12 Southwest Conference titles. His Longhorns went to 16 bowl games and recorded 10 top-10 finishes, and his 167 wins remain the most in Texas’ storied history.

Under Royal, the Longhorns revolutionized college football by debuting the “Wishbone” offensive attack, which led to 30 consecutive victories and two national titles from 1968-70. Royal retired from coaching following the 1976 but remained in Austin as the athletic director until he retired in 1980. Prior to becoming a coach, Royal was an All-America quarterback at Oklahoma under the legendary Bud Wilkinson, making him one of the very few people to have competed in the heated Texas-Oklahoma rivalry on both sides. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.